The Game Changer Hybrid supports the natural motion of your foot.
The first time I pulled out my new pair of True
Linkswear Game Changer Hybrids out of their
signature red shoe box I thought to myself,
these are impossibly white. How the hell am I
going to keep them this way? This was back in
March in New York, where an ungodly
stretch of storms dumped snow on us week
after
miserable week. For me, product
testing of the shoe involved trudging through
snow, ice and salt to the pro shop to hit balls in
an indoor bay. I’m happy to say that the Game
Changer Hybrids live up to their waterproof
guarantee and have surprisingly good traction
in blizzard conditions. Plus, the leather uppers
are easy to wipe down. Of course, you don’t
care about how a golf shoe performs off the
course (in the snow).
As the temperature warmed up allowing
courses to re-open, I was finally able to
audition the Game Changers where
they properly belong. The shoes were
comfortable and performed amicably - and I’ll
have more to say on the matter shortly. But the
reason I began writing this review with a quirky
anecdote about wearing them in the snow,
besides the fact that it seemed like a fun way
to open a story about a golf shoe, is that it
feels exactly like one of the many candid, and
occasionally strange, customer testimonials
True Linkswear posts on their website.
Although the company has been around
since 2011, True Linkswear continues to fly
under the radar, making the most of their
underdog status in the golf footwear
marketplace. The company’s marketing budget
is modest and the player endorsement deals
are limited to that of PGA tour pro Ryan Moore
(a co-owner in the company) and Inbee Park on
the LPGA tour. True Linkswear relies primarily
upon word-of-mouth from a dedicated fan base
- the kind of passionate tribe you’d find in a
sport like running, which shouldn’t be the least
bit surprising.
 |
The
lightweight, spikeless Game Changer Hybrids
come in four colorways. |
It seems like more than just mere
coincidence that True Linkswear made its debut
right about the time the barefoot running era
began to take off in the United States. Every
single shoe introduced by True Linkswear,
including the Game Changer Hybrid, epitomizes
a back-to-basics approach. That means a
typical True Linkswear golf shoe supports the
natural motion of the foot using a
biomechanically correct design.
All shoes from True Linkswear meet the
following criteria:
- Zero Drop - by
eliminating the forced heal found in many other
golf shoes, the foot rests lower to the ground to
improve stability and posture.
- Wide Toe Box -
let’s the toes spread out increasing stability,
balance and feel.
- Light Weight -
True Linkswear shoes range from 10 to 14
ounces.
- Thin Sole - less
material means having a closer proximity to the
turf allowing a golfer to be more stable and
generate power from the ground up.
- Flexible - having
a less rigid outsole allows the foot to flex
naturally as you walk and swing.
I was really surprised how much I
enjoyed wearing the Game Changer Hybrids
out on the golf course. Like many golfers who
took up the game wearing traditional shoes, I
harbored concerns that a hybrid shoe with
spikeless treads wouldn’t let my feet stay
connected to the ground. To a lesser extent, I
was worried that a thinner outsole wouldn’t
provide enough cushion to endure the five-mile
hike a typical round of golf requires.
 |
True
Linkswear's P-Motion technology provides
shock absorption and comfort. |
I went through a similar eye-opening
experience when I took up running a few years
ago. Like many other novice runners, I chose
my first pair of shoes based on conventional
thinking. Back then my running shoes had thick
soles, even thicker padding in the heal and
other over-engineered elements designed to
separate my foot from the pavement. After
battling shin splints for a couple of years, I
finally convinced myself to roll the dice on a
pair of lightweight, zero-drop shoes made by
an independent company in Oregon called
Skora. Within a few of weeks my shin splints
went away and my enjoyment of running
returned.
I’m willing to bet you’ll have a similar
experience wearing a pair of Game Changer
Hybrids, especially if your current golf shoes
are causing you discomfort when walking.
These lightweight shoes are a blast to play in.
They’re fitted with a thin, durable rubber mesh
liner that resides in the midsole. True Linkswear
calls it P-Motion. It’s a proprietary EVA foam
that absorbs shock and cushions your step. The
P-Motion liner has almost a memory-foam like
quality to it which allows your pair of True’s to
feel brand new every time you put them on.
“This is the perfect golf shoe for players
who may want to play 36 holes from sunrise to
sunset or for the golf teacher who’s on his or
her feet all day. That’s how comfortable these
are,” says Jason Moore, True Linkswear’s Vice
President of Product Development. “The
combination of P-Motion rubber mesh and foam
midsole along with the rubber tread outsole, in
combination with the sock fit mid-foot and wide
toe box - you’ll have to find a good reason to
take these shoes off your feet.”
If you’ve never worn a pair of True’s, the
initial experience might feel a little foreign at
first. I certainly wasn’t used to slipping on a
golf shoe with so much room in the toe box. I
was also surprised by sensation of feeling my
feet sink ever so slightly towards the ground.
While what I’m describing might sound jarring,
maybe even off-putting, it really doesn’t take
long to adjust to it. And after about a hole or
two, I forgot about wearing the shoes and just
played golf.
|
The thin
outsole of the Game Changer Hybrid allows the
foot flex naturally during the golf swing.
|
In terms of performance, the Game
Changer Hybrids have pretty good traction. I
never felt uncertain making a full swing.
Compared to playing in spikes, the Game
Changers don’t have nearly the same cement-
like stability that most of us are used to. But
given what we know philosophically about True
Linkswear, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The company wants golfers to feel unrestricted
wearing their shoes. For me, that meant my
feet rolled when they needed to and pivoted
freely.
Honestly, I’m sure there will be times
(probably when the course is wet) when I’ll
miss the superior gripping power of spikes. But
a small loss in traction is a reasonable price to
pay for comfort, if you ask me. All I know is
that my feet were blister-free at the end of my
round and were ready for an emergency nine.
As for the shoes, they did look a little
game-worn. The leather uppers were no longer
sparkling white and
some light creases were beginning to form on
the front of the shoe where I push off on my
downswing. I also
noticed that the bottom of the shoes took a
mild beating. There was superficial
discoloration
of the tread near
the ball of my foot which I’ve been told is
simply a peeling of the paint layer on top of the
rubber tread. Moore
says, “this is a problem we found in the first
sample batch of shoes which we’ve now
addressed and have
improved the molding process. Harsh chemicals
(found on most courses), heat and standard
wear and tear
were wearing down the paint layer quicker than
anticipated. However this is merely a
cosmetic issue and should
have no effect on the durability of the outsole.”
Exactly how long a pair of Game Changer
Hybrids are expected to last is a question I
can’t answer based on
my brief experience wearing them. Plus, the
durability of the shoe will vary from person to
person depending
how often they lace them up. That being said,
True Linkswear likes to think of their shoes as
being capable of
handling anything you throw at them.
Apparently someone took them up on that offer
a few
years back and ran
in a pair of True Linkswear Sensei golf shoes in
the Portland Marathon. If that’s not a ringing
endorsement, I’m
not sure what is.
Personally, I’m looking forward to playing
many more rounds wearing the Game Changer
Hybrids ($169.99 MSRP) and seeing how long
they can keep going. Eventually, even the best
running shoes give out. If a pair of golf shoes
from True Linkswear lasts even half as long, I’ll
consider it a good investment for my game, as
well as my feet.